(106b) Tuning Block Copolymer Solution Assemblies Through Manipulation of Interfacial Interactions

Block copolymers possess significant potential in the biomedical field as drug delivery vehicles, imaging agents, and diagnostic tools.  Specifically, amphiphilic block copolymers assemble in solution to form a variety of structures including spherical micelles, cylindrical micelles, and vesicles, all of which can be used as drug delivery vehicles.  These macromolecular assemblies are attractive due to their increased stability, synthetic versatility, and potential for post-assembly functionalization.  This functionalization frequently involves the addition of an active targeting group to promote cell-specific interactions in vitro and in vivo, with the functionalization site being the interface between polymer segments or the nanostructure periphery.  However, previous work has shown that ligands buried at the block interface are not sufficiently active, and peripheral ligands promote rapid clearance from the body.  Therefore, we investigate the manipulation of ligand display on polymer-peptide conjugates prepared using a combination of controlled ring opening polymerization and solid phase peptide synthesis, which potentially enables the decoupling of prolonged circulation and active targeting for enhanced and effective drug delivery.  Furthermore, using various solvent conditioning protocols we can examine the dynamics of these macromolecular solutions assemblies, both near to and far from equilibrium.